Download Rector's Annual Report 2016-1
The Reverend Dr. Regina Christianson
It is the privilege of the rector to stand atop the mountain, search for glimpses of the Promised Land, witness to its reality, discern the patterns that will lead fellow pilgrims in the right direction, and exhort the company to rise up in joy to follow the Way. That is what a Charge is.
My charge to you is that we pay especial attention to four focuses in this next year. During my Rector’s Report, I quoted the Canon on Ministry of All Baptized Persons. The four focuses actually arise from it. Allow me to repeat it:
Sec. 1. Each Diocese shall make provision for the affirmation and development of the ministry of all baptized persons, including: (a) Assistance in understanding that all baptized persons are called to minister in Christ's name, to identify their gifts with the help of the Church and to serve Christ's mission at all times and in all places. (b) Assistance in understanding that all baptized persons are called to sustain their ministries through commitment to life-long Christian formation.
The first is communication. While it may not be evident that this has anything to do with the Ministry of All Baptized, without it, the rest will fail. We have reinstituted the telephone tree because you have a good history with it. We will also recommit to regular communications through weekly mail announcements, monthly newsletters, and regular communications from the vestry. Exactly how each one of you individually receives these communications will be up to you. You will need to communicate to the church office how you wish to receive written communication. It may take us a while to get this all in place and working smoothly, but with your ongoing help and participation, we can accomplish timely, content-worthy communication.
The second is stewardship. Stewardship covers a lot of ground – everything from maintaining the church property to making sure money, energy, and gifts are used wisely. As we learned through the Creation story, we are created to be stewards. We are entrusted with God’s precious and beloved creation. In our context, being stewards means that we are entrusted with the legacy of Episcopal worship and values, the care for our parish family, our fellowship with other parishes and civic groups, and our responsibilities towards the larger community. We are gifted with stewardship so that we might follow Jesus, so that we might use these opportunities to find and be found in Christ. Walter Coles has written a document for us to help us identify our call to stewardship of time and talent. As part of our stewardship drive, For Emmanuel: Illustrative Goals and Committees for Discussion, is meant to inspire us, giving us concrete examples, inviting us into the process of creating meaningful ministries. To be Emmanuel Church in Chatham, Virginia, in 2017: where in this do you find God? Where in this is your stewardship? Those two questions are the heart of the next area of focus, holy discernment.